Brake



Feb. 23, 1937. H G, AXTMANN 2,071,606

BRAKE Filed Jan. l2, 1934 4.Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. .H4/eo@ GAXr/VAN/v y BY Ju" ATTORNEY Feb. 23, 1937. H. G. AXTMANN 2,071,606

BRAKE Filed Jan. i2, 1954 4 "sheets-sheet 2 i INVENTOR. HAROLD .6. AxTMA/v/v BY h ATTORNEY Feb. 23,1937. H. G. AxTMANN 2,071,606

BRAKE Filed Jan. 12, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 JN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEY Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITEDsTATEs' PATENT OFFICE] Harold G. Axtmann, South Bend,

to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Ind., signor South Bend,

Application .Imm 1s, 1m, sam No. '106,355 p.. l i c clam.. (cl. isa-1o) This invention relates to brakes, and is illustrated as embodied inl four wheel automobile brake systems. An object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive mechanical hookup or linkage for applying a set of four brakes, preferably alternatively either by pedal or hand lever. and which may be so constructed and so arranged that even considerable damage (such as breaking the connection to one of the brakes) will in no case put the entire system out of commission. Various features of novelty relate to bringing together at the center of the vehicle, for operation by a novel, simple and compact device conl5 nected to the pedal and hand lever, the four cables which pass to the four brakes through flexible Bowden-type conduits, both as to the general arrangement of the parts of such a hookup and as to the particular construction and arrangement of the device for operating the cables.

, The above and other objects and features of the invention, and various novel combinations of parts and desirable particular constructions, will be apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an automobile chassis having one form of the novel brakeoperating hookup; f

Figure 2 is a partial section pn the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and showing the construction and mounting of the central ,brake-operating lever; Figure 3 is a partial section on the line 3-3 of Figure l, showing the connections to the lever; Figure 4 is a plan view of a chassis having a modied hookup arrangement;

Figure 5 is a partial section on the line l-I of Figure 4, showing some of thel connections to the central lever:

Figure 6 is a partial section on the line l of Figure 4, showing others of the connections;

Figure 'l is a perspective and diagrammatic view of a chassis having another modified arrangement;

Figure 8 is a plan view of a chassis embodying another modiiication of the hookup;

Figure 9 is a plan view of s chassis embodying still another modication of the hookup;

Figure 10 is a perspective View of the centrallyarranged device which operates the four brake cables in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing a modification of the device of Figure 10; and

Figure l2 is a plan view oi' a chassis embody- -ing a modification like that of Figure 8, except that the central lever is mounted on means o1' the brake. Each brake is operated by a 1 flexible tension element such as a cable 26 which passes through the backing plate, and through a flexible Bowden-type conduit 28 forming in effect a flexible extension yof the brake chamber and which is supported at one end by the backi in g plate and at the other end by the adjacent side frame member I Il.

In the arrangement of Figures 1-3, the four` cablesjl, passing out of their conduits 28 substantially in alignment with the axes of the conduits at their ends, are all inclined so that they are brought together substantially at the center of the chassis, where they are all connected to an operating member 30. 'I'he member 30 is made by welding together face to face two steel stampings, to form a lever movable in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis deiined by a pivot 32 arranged centrally of the lever and supported at its lower end by the cross member I2 and at its upper endby a bracket 34 secured to the cross member I2.

Each of the cables 28 'has at its end a fitting 36 adjustably threaded into a tube part 38, the other end of which is flattened and connected by a pivot 40 to the lever 30. A pedal 42 is4 connected by a ,link or, cable 44 to onel of the pivots 40, while a hand lever 46 is separately connected to the lever 30 by a link or cable 48 and a pivot 50.

In Figures 4-6, the central horizontal lever is made up of upper and lower stampings 52 and 54 welded together. The two front brake cables 26 and the hand lever connection 48 (in this case a link having a bent end. to serve as a pivot) f vare connected to the lower stamping 54, while the two rear brake cables26 and the pedal connection 44 are connected to the upper stamping 52.

In both of the above arrangements, the center portions of the lever stampings are spaced apart to give spaced bearings engaging the fulcrum pivot I! some distance apart.

In Figure '1, the four cables Il are connected to a vertical lever formed of two stampings II secured together at their upper and lower ends and spaced apart between their ends to give ample clearance for a propeller shaft il. 'I'he stampings have aligned coaxial horizontal pivots Il on opposite sides of the propeller shaft. The pedal I2 is connected to one of thestampings, to which are also connected the left front and rear brake cables 28, and the hand lever 4I is connected to the other stamping, to which are also connected the right front and rear brake cables 2l. Whereas the arrangement of Figure 4 gives front and rear independent brake systems interconnected by welding together two lever stampings, Figure 7 shows right and left independent systems interconnected by welding together two lever stampings.

In Figure 8 all four brakes are operated by a single horizontal lever 6l having lost-motion one-way connection with both the pedal and the hand lever.

In Figures 9 and 10, the front brake cables 2l are connected to one stamped steel lever and the rear cables 26 to another similar lever Il. Both levers are keyed to a short vertical shaft 'il journaled in spaced bearings formed by the sides of a channel-shaped bracket 12 can'ied by the cross member I2. The pedal connection Il is connected to an arm 'il keyed to the shaft between the two bearings, While the lever connection 48 is connected to an arm 'Il keyed to the shaft above both of the bearings.

Figure 1l shows a modification in whichall four brakes are applied by a single horizontal lever Il keyed to the shaft 10.

Figure 12 illustrates a possible arrangement for a vehicle having individually-sprung wheels, illustrated as including suitable transverse leaf springs 80 forming substitutes for the usual axles and supporting a rigid longitudinal unit comprising a unit power plant 82, a torque tube 84 housing the propeller shaft, .and a differential through which the rear wheels are driven.

In this case the rear ends of the conduits 2l for the front brakes are supported by brackets Il carried by the power plant unit, and the front ends of the conduits 2l of the rear brakes are supported on the torque tube Il. The brakes are applied by either the pedal or hand lever connected as in Figure 8 to a lever Il which, however, is here pivoted on the torque tube 84.

While several illustrative embodiments have been described in detail, it is not my intention to limit the scope of the invention to those par`- ticular embodiments, or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A vehicle having four brakes and a springsupported chassis frame, a ilexible conduit secured at its end to each of the brakes and secured to the frame at its other end, four cables, one passing through each conduit and arranged to operate the corresponding brake, the cables beyond the conduits being arranged at acute angles to the center line of. the vehicle substantially in prolongation of the axes of the conduits and having their ends arranged adjacent each other approximately at the center of the vehicle, a driver-operated device angularly movable about a vertical axis and connected to said ends of the cables, and a pedal and a hand lever connected to said device and alternatively operable to actuate it to apply the brakes.

2. Brake-operating means comprising a leverv including a pair of stampings secured together at their ends, pivot means engaging the stampings approximately centrally of the lever, four brake connections connected to said lever at different points about the axis of the pivot means,

and a pedal and a lever connected to the lever.

at different points.

3. Brake-operating means comprising a lever including a pair of stampings secured together at their ends, pivot means engaging the stampings approximately centrally of the lever, four brake connections connected to said lever at different points 'about the axis of the pivot means, and a pedal and a lever connected to different ones of the stampings.

4. Brake-operating means for a vehicle having a propeller shaft, comprising a pair of generally vertical stampings having their centers spaced apart and provided with aligned horizontal pivots on opposite sides of the propeller shaft and having their upper and lower ends secured together above and below the propeller shaft to form a centrally pivoted brake lever, and brake-actuating members connected to said lever.

5. Brake-operating means `for a vehicle having a propeller shaft, comprising a pair of generally vertical stampings having their centers spaced apart and provided with aligned horizontal pivots on opposite sides of the propeller shaft and having their upper and lower ends secured together above and below the propeller shaft to form a centrally pivoted brake lever, brake-actuating members connected to said lever, and a pedal and a lever connected respectively to different ones of said stampings.

6. Brake-operating means comprising a vertical shaft having vertically-spaced bearings and having four brake connections leading therefrom, and pedal and lever connections for said shaft, one of which is arranged between said bearings and the other of which is arranged at one side of both bearings.

HAROLD G. AXTLIANN. 

